Our main objective is to describe the events occuring during the formation of specific connections in the primate visual system and to elucidate the mechanisms that regulate developmental specificity. During the previous year, we have examined the early innervation of the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus by retinal axons. The results show that there is a remarkable degree of precision in this pattern, in that the parvocellular layers of the geniculate are innervated several weeks earlier than the magnocellular layers. These findings provide the first demonstration of a layer-specific innervation pattern by retinal axons in any species. *KEY*Retinal axon ingrowth, Decussation pattern, Prenatal development